Hazardous agents encompass a wide range of microbes and microbially derived compounds as well as other chemical compounds, including synthetic chemical compounds used in agricultural, military and industrial applications. Hazardous agents, including hazards of biological origin, for example, bacteria, bacterial endospores, viruses, viroids, fungi, protozoa and compounds produced by these organisms, and hazards derived from synthetic chemicals are of particular concern because of their potential for use as weapons of bioterrorism. In light of the serious health risks posed by hazardous agents, it is critical to be able to decontaminate surfaces or substances contaminated with these agents.
Decontamination of surfaces and substances contaminated with hazardous compounds can be carried out by chemical and enzymatic methods. Chemical based decontamination solutions such as DS2, although they are effective against both microbial and chemical agents, have toxic and corrosive properties. Enzymatic techniques are distinguished by low toxicities, making them relatively non-hazardous to personnel, equipment and the environment.
Enzymes are remarkable both for their catalytic power and exquisite substrate specificity. Enzymatic decontamination methods rely upon the ability of enzymes to catalyze the decomposition of their corresponding substrates. The catalytic power of enzymes allows them to detoxify many times their own weight in substrate in a short period of time. The substrate specificity of enzymes may restrict the applicability of any given enzyme to a particular molecular substrate or class of molecular substrate.